THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604250150
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JODY SNIDER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
IT'S CRUNCH TIME for local farmers.
Corn planting should have been finished weeks ago. Cotton planting should be under way. And fields should be ready for peanuts.
For many, none of that has happened yet.
Most of the farmers have just finished - or are near finishing - the corn crop. Others are just beginning to prepare the land for cotton and peanuts.
The reason? For the past two months, rain has shut the farmers out of their fields. The Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Holland said 3.98 inches of rain fell on southside fields in March, followed by 2.42 inches through April 21.
``I've been farming since 1960, and I've seen some wet spells, but not one that's lasted this long,'' said Suffolk farmer Morris Glover, who farms 600 acres of corn, 1,800 acres of cotton and 800 acres of peanuts.
``I've been locked out of my fields for the past three months,'' he said. ``I like to get started preparing the land in January. I've had to keep my eight workers busy doing the little jobs until this month. Now we're into overtime, working 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, just to catch up.''
Suffolk farmer Joe Barlow, 67, also feels the planting strain. ``We've had problems before with wet springs, but this is definitely one of the wettest,'' he said.
In Southampton County, where most fields were closed to farmers last week, tractors are rolling in fields, said county extension agent Wes Alexander.
Southampton farmer Walter Young said he had planned to start planting his 100-acre corn crop on April 15, followed by 150 acres of cotton and 140 acres of peanuts.
After a cool snap, he said, ``I just decided to wait. We had been getting stuck in fields every other day for three weeks. There's still some spots that can't be planted yet. After April 22, you lose some of your corn production because of late planting.''
In Isle of Wight, most farmers have finished the corn crop and are beginning to plant cotton this week, said Isle of Wight extension agent Robert Goerger.
Other factors also figure in this planting season:
The 1995 farm bill reduced by 10 percent the amount of peanut quotas allowed for each farm and cut the price from $678 to $610 a ton.
As a result, most peanut farmers are reducing planted acreage by 5 to 10 percent.
The good news this year is that corn acreage is no longer regulated by government guidelines. Corn farmers may plant according to market demand rather than government guidelines.
Due to a national shortage of corn, prices have soared to $3.80 a bushel for corn booked for September. Last year's stored corn is selling for $4.75 a bushel. Farmers were paid $2.10 a bushel for corn last year.
``I have to be an optimist or I wouldn't plant anything,'' Barlow said. ``Prices are good. All we have to do now is produce a good crop, and we'll have a good year.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Tony Wilson works on his plow rig on Robbie taylor's farm on
Crittenden Road in Chuckatuck as a fertilizer machine goes by during
a day of planting.
Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Slow-moving farm equipment, such as this tractor and plow on Kings
Highway, are a common sight during planting season.
Clay Holleman turns a valve on the fertilizer machine he'll use in
the fields.
As a farmer plows on Pitchkettle Road in Suffolk, sea gulls follow
to take advantage of the grubs and worms exposed in the plow's
wake.
Tommy Goodman operates a Terragator fertilizer machine.
by CNB